Category: Survival Tips

***Disclaimer: We are not medical doctors and are simply sharing our opinions here and what has worked well for us. Consult your doctor before changing your health care plan or the way you manage your health.

Four years ago, in our quest to cut expenses, we changed to a higher deductible health insurance option with lower premiums. We realized this was a bit risky with 4 kids, so in order to ward off some of this risk, we’ve put some practices in place to help minimize our need for medical care. We’ve found that by optimizing our health, we rarely go to the doctor now, and have saved several hundred dollars, at least, in our healthcare spending each year. And it’s working. In fact, in 2016 we only spent $139.55 out of pocket for medical expenses not including our monthly premium, even on our high deductible plan. We’re no longer those people that the doctor’s office knows so well. We show up every year or two for our annual physicals, and that’s about it. Here’s some of what we’re doing to keep healthcare costs low. : Read more

One of the ways we save money on healthcare is by making sure we implement cheap or free workouts into our week. Hiking is one of our favorites. We’re lucky that our state is loaded with awesome parks that boast miles of hiking trails. This guest post by Mike from ShoeMatters will show you how to hike frugally and have fun at the same time. Read more

This is a question I get asked fairly often, so I thought I’d address it on the site. We’ve been homeschooling our kids for twelve years now, since the beginning of our oldest daughter’s education. We currently have an 11th grader, an 8th grader, a 6th grader and a 5th grader. The answer to the question “How much does it cost to homeschool? can have a wide variety of answers. Read more

You have managed to build a lovely garden, all bright and colorful, and have also used the best HPS bulbs to ensure proper, healthy growth of your greeneries. You spend enough time learning how to harvest buttercrunch lettuce, and how to grow other vegetables and flowers in a perfect way, so as to make your garden look beautiful. However, chances are bright that your garden is not attractive to you alone but also wild animals that live nearby. This problem is going to be bigger if you grow food in your garden. Read more

We talk a lot about prepping on this site. Since we moved from the suburbs to the country four and a half years ago, we’ve slowly been learning the vital importance of being prepared for whatever potential disasters might come one’s way and what types of supplies are most important in a prepper arsensal.

Sometimes disasters come in the form of natural disasters such as hurricanes. We talked about this here when a fellow blogger shared her real life experience living through Hurricane Sandy.

Other times disasters come in the form of personal disasters, such as job layoffs. Read more

Hey friends!! Today we have a guest post from Angelica, who blogs over at Tactical Guru. Enjoy!

Developing a bug out bag and/or go bag for emergencies is probably one of the first things you’ll do when you start prepping. If you’re new to this, it can be an intimidating task. For one thing, you need to be able to reasonably predict what you’ll need in an emergency scenario. It’s nearly impossible to account for every imaginable situation, but some things are universal. Read more

Gardening is not just a fun hobby – it can be a powerful, money-saving, life-saving skill. Back in the pioneer days, if you wanted to eat, you grew a garden. There weren’t mega stores in every town, filled with lush, 3-week-old fresh greens to fill your tummy. No, if you wanted food, you had to grow it yourself or work for someone who did. The thing about gardening though, is that learning to do it well doesn’t happen overnight. The blessed skill of gardening, once a must-have skill for every person, is now mostly a lost art. Most people don’t know how to garden – or to preserve the food that grows in the garden. Never fear, though, because today we’re going to share with you how you can get the most out of your garden, even if you’re a beginner gardener. Read more

If you’ve read our “About” page, you know we’re huge advocates of education through reading. Part of the reason we’ve so heavily adapted the habit of reading non-fiction books is that 88% of millionaires read at least thirty minutes of non-fiction a day. Education through reading is a powerful tool for reaching your goals and becoming what you want to be. And if you’re interested in prepping, you’ll want to know about what I think are some of the best prepping and survival books on the market. Read more

Hey friends! This is a guest post from fellow blogger Paul Watson. As midwesterners, we ice fish every year. By following Paul’s tips, you can make your ice fishing hobby a fun and safe event! Are you looking for a winter hobby? How about ice fishing for Perch? Ice fishing is a great way to gets out and enjoy nature’s winter beauty, spends time with friends and family and catch supper while you are at it! If you have never been ice fishing before,

One of the things I’ve learned (and am still learning) over the years about prepping and privacy is that people often give out information about their lives and their activities that is highly valuable to criminals without even realizing it. Social sites such as Facebook, etc., have been a huge help to those with bad intentions in this area. Today I’m going to talk about how we’re putting ourselves and our families at risk by not being cautious about our privacy, and what you can do to protect your family. Although this post might seem a little on the snarky side, know that my heart is to help you keep yourself and your loved ones safe. 🙂 Read more